McCann said offenders who stage crime scenes usually make mistakes, arranging the scene to be what they believe it should look like. He said nothing about the scene in question looked staged.

"In this case, the body appeared exactly as I would have expected it to appear if this were indeed a suicide," he said.

Prosecutors say Levi Chavez, a former Albuquerque police officer, murdered his then-wife, Tera Chavez, in October 2007 and made it look like a suicide. Prosecutors also say Levi Chavez used his police training to cover his tracks.

If there had been a struggle, the analyst said, things in the home would have been in disarray. He added that if there was a fight, he expected to see Tera Chavez’s fingernails broken and someone else’s skin underneath them.

NO EVIDENCE OF A STAGED SUICIDE. THAT'S ACCORDING TO A CRIME SCENE ANALYST WHO TESTIFIED FOR THE DEFENSE IN THE LEVI CHAVEZ MURDER TRIAL IT'S DAY 16. ACTION 7 NEWS REPORTER ANNA VELASQUEZ JOINS US LIVE WITH DETAILS THE DEFENSE'S EXPERT IS A RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, AND CURRENT VIOLENT CRIME SCENE CONSULTANT. HE TOLD THE JURY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE STAGES A SCENE ... AND WHY HE BELIEVES TERA'S WASN'T. CRIME SCENE ANALYST LARRY MC-CANN HAS LOOKED AT THOUSANDS OF CRIME SCENES... INCLUDING HOMICIDES STAGED TO LOOK LIKE SUICIDES. 11/3:44 what we found is offenders who stage crime scenes, usually make mistakes because they arrange the scene to be what they believe it should look like :54 PROSECUTORS SAY LEVI CHAVEZ MURDERED HIS WIFE TERA... AND USED HIS POLICE TRAINING TO COVER HIS TRACKS. BUT MCCANN SAYS NOTHING ABOUT THE SCENE ON OCTOBER 21ST 2007... LOOKED STAGED. 12/3:27 i didn't see any signs of any offender there, there was no victim/offender interaction :33 MCCANN SAYS IF THERE HAD BEEN A STRUGGLE, THINGS IN THE HOME WOULD HAVE BEEN IN DISARRAY... AND IN HIS EXPERIENCE, THE OFFENDER TRIES TO PUT EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER. BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. HE ALSO SAYS IF THERE WAS A FIGHT... HE EXPECTED TO SEE TERA'S FINGERNAILS BROKEN AND SOMEONE ELSE'S SKIN UNDERNEATH THEM. AN OMI EXPERT TESTIFIED TERA'S FINGERNAILS WERE UNTOUCHED... AND HER HANDS WERE CLEAN. 12/3:42 in this case, the body appeared exactly as i would have expected it to appear if this were indeed a suicide :51 AND THAT'S BEEN CHAVEZ DEFENSE... TERA FELL INTO A SEVERE DEPRESSION AND THAT WEEKEND... WHILE HER HUSBAND WAS AT WORK... SHE TOOK THE GUN HE LEFT FOR HER PROTECTION AND SHOT HERSELF. THIS EXPERT ALSO HANDLED THAT WEAPON... AND DEMONSTRATED TO THE JURY HOW HE THINKS TERA CHAVEZ DID IT THAT COMING UP TONIGHT AT SIX AND KOAT-DOT-COM IS YOUR SOURCE

A Justice Department civil rights investigation has concluded that the Ferguson Police Department and the city's municipal court engaged in a "pattern and practice" of discrimination against African Americans, targeting them disproportionately for tr...